
BookClub
Welcome to the BlueTech Book Club Podcast—where water meets the written word. Hosted by Paul O’Callaghan, joined by Lily Chen, this is the only podcast dedicated to exploring the books that are shaping how we think about water.
Each episode features conversations sparked by a book—conversations that uncover the ideas, innovations, and stories behind water technology, sustainability, and the people driving change in the sector. From recent titles by academic powerhouses to big-vision narratives from filmmakers, founders, and futurists, we dive deep into what makes these books matter.
This isn’t just a podcast for water experts. It’s for the curious, the committed, and everyone in between—whether you’re just dipping your toes in or already knee-deep in the water space.
You’ll discover books that challenge and inspire new thinking in the sector, hear directly from authors, innovators, and thought leaders, and explore the human stories behind water technologies and movements. It’s also a way to stay connected to emerging trends, research, and radical ideas shaping the future of water.
BlueTech Book Club is brought to you by BlueTech Research. Join us—and bring a book.
BookClub
David Sedlak – Water 4.0: The Past, Present, and Future of the World's Most Vital Resource
David Sedlak is the Plato Malozemoff Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. He is also the Co-Director of the Berkeley Water Center and Deputy Director of the NSF engineering research center for Reinventing the Nation’s Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt). He has over 25 years of research experience studying water quality and urban water systems. He has served on the USEPA’s Science Advisory Board for Drinking Water as well as the State of California’s Expert Advisory Panel for Direct Potable Water Reuse.
He is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering and recipient of numerous awards including the Paul Busch Award for Innovation in Applied Water Quality Research and the Clarke Prize for Excellence in Water Research. Sedlak is the author of Water 4.0: The Past, Present and Future of the World’s Most Vital Resource and serves as editor-in-chief of the ACS journal, Environmental Science & Technology.
💡 Got a suggestion for a book or author we should feature? Drop us a line at lily.chen@bluetechresearch.com
📘 Paul’s book The Dynamics of Water Innovation is available at braveblue.world/book—Lily will personally make sure it wings its way to you.
🔗 Connect with Lily and Paul on LinkedIn, and visit bluetechresearch.com and braveblue.world to learn more.